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Rideback Review

Story:
Rin Ogata used to be a brilliant ballet dancer, following in the footsteps of her talented mother. However, after a fall damages her leg, Rin decides to return to school as an average student, giving up all her dreams. But when she runs into a school club dedicated to motorcycle-like vehicles called Ridebacks, she discovers that her talents might not have run out after all.

Violence:
Although blood isn’t focused on too much, there is a decent amount of violence in this show. Perhaps the worst instances are a character being suddenly beheaded and a character being tortured to reveal information via electrocution. Interestingly, these scenes don’t show much blood, but they are visually disturbing, especially for young viewers.

Language:
The language in this show is pretty typical for YA titles. A few da-ns, sh-ts and an occasional (though rare) “illegitimate-son” word.

Nudity:
Thankfully this series never attempts to dive into fanservice, even though it certainly has many opportunities to do so. Since Rin often wears a white dress, occasionally you can see a bit of her underwear in high action scenes. However, one would often need to pause the episode to actually see them as it is not focused on at all and goes by very fast. Also, another female character wears tight clothing that often exposes her stomach. Nothing one won’t see at the beach, but worth mentioning.

Theology/Mythology:
There really isn’t anything to worry about in this sector. Typical of science fiction, the concept of what freedom really is and whether someone should fight if they can, even though people may die, are discussed. But no single stance is forced on viewers.

Personal Impression:
I started watching this show out of curiosity and certainly didn’t think it would affect me as much as it did. Re-watching episode one after seeing the whole series brought tears to my eyes, something that isn’t that easy to do. This series may have a pretty simple set up as it focuses on a girl who just wants to find joy in her life again, yet it goes far beyond this goal. Rin experiences the pain of loss in pretty much every sense of the word imaginable, and viewers tag along for the ride. Thus the pain of those close to her and the death of those who have become so loveable, makes for a very strong impression. In fact, when one major character dies, I felt more sadness over her passing than perhaps any other death scene I’d ever seen in a show.
The setting itself is a bit similar to other robot shows like Gundam Wing. There is a world government and various factions fighting against it and the main character ends up getting involved. Which is the perfect setting for character development. Unlike Gundam Wing, however, this series focuses far more on the characters themselves and the issues they go through than on the war around them. In fact, we don’t get a very clear picture of the war and what is happening globally, though we can see glimpses now and again. So if you wish to have any closure on the world itself, this series will disappoint. Instead, the story arc we see is solely Rin and her world. So if you love shows that give you a deep connection with the main character, with some robot fun on the side, this show is a wonderful choice. Just be sure you have tissues on hand for the last few episodes…

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About inrosegalaxy

Raised on everything from Moby Dick to the Star Wars X-Wing books from a young age, it came as no surprise to anyone who knew me that I’d become a literature graduate and avid writer. But my love of a good story wasn’t restricted to the written word in my early years. Star Trek, Mystery Science Theater 3000, and badly dubbed Godzilla flicks helped shape my love of science fiction on screen as well.
I wrote my first story while in the second grade. It was a horrifying tale about murdering a fairy-eating dog via a slice of pizza (in my defense, my only exposure to pizza was in the cafeteria and I swear you could legitimately kill someone with those things). I was a special snowflake.
Today I write science fiction, fairy tales, Gothic epistolaries, fantasy and anything else that pops into my bizarre and twisted mind. I write new articles for my blog every Tuesday and Thursday. And if you happen to fancy Japanese animation, I also run an anime review blog, RRAR, which updates every Monday.